Unintended
by Lola Ravenhill
Summary: They were supposed to die. All they wanted was peace after their short but eventful lives. For Regulus Black and Samantha Mulder, things didn't quite work out as they had intended. The sequel to "Consequences of Bloody Manchester" and an X-Files crossover
1. Prologue

Author's notes: Finally, this monster is getting posted. I think I've been working on this story for near on five years now. I remember bringing some of the first few pages with me to Lumos 2006, so I know it's been a loooooong time. This is the sequel to Consequences of Bloody Manchester. It doesn't seem quite as cracked to me, but since most of the rules got tossed out the window as I was writing this, Crack!Fic this will be labeled. Considering that I've been defining this story as: A Harry Potter/The X-Files crossover, set in a universe defined by Good Omens, Life on Mars, and Ashes to Ashes, I think Crack!Fic is a fairly mild term.

I've got to give a lot of thanks to **sopdetly** for this one. She was the one who helped me bring this cracked crossover pairing to life all those years ago, and this story wouldn't have gotten off the ground without her. Thanks darling! :)

Spoiler Alert: If you haven't made it through all three seasons of Ashes to Ashes (and want to without being spoiled) I'd wait until you're done to read this fic. While there are no outright spoilers, a major twist will be blown by a character that pops up in here...and really, the sheer nature of this story. So last chance not to be spoiled...

* * *

**Unintended**

"_You should be my unintended_

_Choice to live my life extended…"_

**Prologue: Unintended Consequences**

The first time he saw her, the first person he'd seen since he landed in this place forever ago, hunched over in a barren field with her arms wrapped tightly around her legs, he thought she was aglow. A child made of starlight, fallen into an indescribable place.

"Where are we?" Regulus asked, sitting down across from her. "Is this heaven?" He knew he had died, dragged under and ripped apart by the walking dead. He hoped they hadn't figured out, however, the little switch he had pulled with one of the Dark Lord's horcruxes. It'd serve them right when they did.

She shook her head, a sad and wistful expression on her face. "This isn't heaven. S'not hell either. Not quite sure where we are."

Regulus reached over and grasped her hand, making a silent promise.

* * *

"What's that on your arm?" the girl asked him one day. They were walking without aim at this point, tromping across the barren land filled with spindly, thorny dead trees and a lot of grey, dusty soil under their feet.

They noticed other people walking as well, folk muggle, wizard, and some not quite human. Everyone was moving in a displaced daze, trying not to come in contact with the others. They didn't quite seem to know what they were doing there either.

Regulus pulled his sweater down over the Dark Mark. It hadn't blazed since that night; in fact, now it just seemed like a powerless tattoo, dull ink jabbed into pale skin. "Nothing," he eventually said. "Just a remnant of a previous life."

* * *

They found a city eventually, after countless wanderings. Was it weeks, months, years, or maybe just a few minutes? Neither one of them was sure.

Regulus felt the city reminded him of the London he had only seen from a distance, looking out the grimy attic windows of Grimmauld Place on smoggy nights to watch the ekeltric lights glint off of buildings of brick, metal, and glass. Samantha gaped in awe, but could feel a sort of chill in the personality of the nameless city.

They appropriated a large, abandoned apartment in a mirror-glass high rise, with Regulus using magic to furnish rooms for them. The thought of keeping wizardry a secret seemed a moot point here, where all the worlds seemed to blend into a colorless mesh.

On their third day in the flat Samantha stood at the window, looking out over the cityscape. "When I was really little," she said, her American accent still slightly startling to his ears, "I think I went to New York City. I thought it was the most magical and wonderful place I had ever been. Everything just…hummed with life, you know? This place kind of reminds me of it, but something isn't right. It's too quiet."

* * *

Regulus watched as Samantha grew, surprisingly. He'd learned that she'd died when she was fourteen, only a few years younger than he had been when he'd been killed. Her soul was far older though, with something ancient peeking out through her hazel eyes. The physical part of her matured to meet her mind, leaner and more angular, becoming almost as tall as he was. It was nice to be on equal grounds with her in that way. In this lonely place he was extremely glad that he had found her.

* * *

"Are you that sure we're dead?" Samantha asked one night, sprawled out on the couch.

Regulus looked up from his seat on the floor in front of the fireplace. "What makes you say that?"

"I don't remember dying," she frowned, flipping over onto her stomach to stare into the flickering orange and red flames. "I remember being in a hospital bed, hearing footsteps coming down the hallway towards my room, and then waking up in that field. I never imagined dying would be like that."

Regulus turned back to the fire, idly moving his fingers back and forth through the dancing flames. It should have burned him. "I remember full well how I died. It was a bloody mess, pardon the pun. I was torn apart by Inferi."

"Inferi?"

"Zombies, basically. I imagine I was nearly unrecognizable by the time they were done."

Samantha slipped off the couch and crawled behind him, resting her head on his shoulder. "I'm sorry."

He shrugged. "Not your fault. At least I died knowing I'd done something right in my life for once."

* * *

_A/N: Short, yes, but there's definitely more to come. All comments and constructive critiques welcome._


	2. Chapter 1: Unintended Visitors

I need to get this on a posting schedule - any thoughts or preferences?

* * *

Chapter One: Unintended Visitors

One day the demons came. From some circle of hell they rose up to the nameless place, sending the residents into a mad scatter. Regulus had a strong hold on Samantha's hand and dragged her through the streets, searching desperately for some shelter. The demons were fairly merciless, picking off folk at random and dragging them away. They were acting like the kings of their personal playground.

Regulus pushed Samantha into the doorway of a grey building, shielding her with his body. "What's going on?" she whimpered, clutching at his shirt front.

"I don't know," he whispered, turning to peek around the edge of the steps. He felt Samantha grab at his shoulder, a death grip with blunt nails digging into his skin.

Footsteps echoed down the street. A short and squat demon came into view, all wings and scales, although to Regulus's eyes he seemed like he should be dressed in a trench coat skulking along a back alley somewhere. "Oi, Hastur!" he cried out in a rough voice. "I think 'e went this way!" The demon looked around and paused, coming to a quick stop as his eyes locked onto Regulus's.

With every little bit of magic he could dredge up he glared at the demon, clenching his jaw just a bit to add to the effect. The demon simply arched a scaly eyebrow, nodded, and shuffled along. Regulus sighed deeply and turned back to Samantha, pushed up against the granite wall of the vestibule. Her eyes widened suddenly, and she bit her bottom lip hard. "What is it?" he asked.

Samantha reached a shaking hand out, framing his left eye with her thumb and index finger. Then she jerked it back hurriedly as she shook her head. "N-nothing," she murmured, leaving Regulus a puzzled mess.

For some reason, his eyes were burning.

* * *

Another day, Samantha met a young boy who called himself Jason Tencate. "Oh, I know this sad place is only for a little while," he said, settling down on the curb. "I'm going to go someplace better soon. My mom believes it."

Samantha smiled softly, marveling at the hope this little boy was still able to hold onto. "Well I'm glad you'll be leaving here soon. It's not quite fun."

Jason nodded. "The starlight spirits told me, when they took me away, they said that I'd be going to a wonderful happy place. Did the starlight spirits take you too?"

"I think so…" Samantha trailed off, remembering the glow in those first few moments in the field.

"Why aren't you a kid then? I thought the starlight only took the kids. They told me that too," Jason asked.

"I was a kid when they took me, but I've been here so long that I grew up, I guess," Samantha shrugged, not really wanting to think about the implications of that statement.

"I'm sure you'll find your place eventually," Jason said with the conviction that only the young can have. "Someone will get you to that good place."

That night Samantha burst out into yells, right in the middle of dinner. "Is that why I didn't die properly? Because some stupid fool thinks I'm still around back there?"

Regulus shook his head, raising a fork. "Doesn't that seem a bit illogical to you? How can what someone thinks from your former life affect you now? It just doesn't make sense."

Samantha looked down at the table, a few tears dripping out of her eyes. "I just want to rest," she whispered through salty, wet lips.

Later that night Regulus found her in the bathroom, hacking off her long, dark brown hair with a pair of dull scissors. She didn't stop until the stringy bunches were lying on the tile floor, and the scraggly ends fell somewhere around her ears and nose, keeping her eyes well hidden.

* * *

Regulus found that conjuring things had become much easier since his death. Especially conjurings of the alcoholic sort. When he'd tried it as a young student, everything ended up tasting much like he imagined certain foul potions ingredients would. Now, however, he was able to manifest all sorts of fine wines. He and Samantha decided that they should get righteously pissed one night, so they grabbed a blanket, a few bottles each, and headed up to the roof.

Why the roof? The only answer they could come up with was that it was a change from the flat.

Lying back on the blanket, he knocked back a slug of darkly sweet Shiraz (Leaping Jackalope Vineyards, 1973 vintage, one of the finer wizarding wines out there). He stared up at the cloudy sky, with only a few glimmers of light sneaking through. "You know, Samantha," he slurred slightly, "me family's got a tradition of naming their kids after the stars." Regulus waved a hand towards the firmament limply.

Samantha stole the bottle from him, drinking deeply (he had discovered that she had never drunk before and was throwing herself into the task with the eagerness of a Hogwarts student's first adventure in firewhiskey). She lay down next to him, her head on his shoulder, and stared up at the dim stars also. "Really? Regulus is the name of a star?"

"Yup. The little king in the leonine constellation. Whole lot of the Blacks, really, are named after those twinkly little things." His hand waved towards the sky again. "Lessee, we've got an Arcturus, an Alphard, Andromeda, Bellatrix that stinking whore."

"Think you've mentioned that before…"

"Prolly. Then there's Orion; s'was my dad. And can't forget Andromeda! Ran off to marry a muggleborn, and got blasted off the family tree."

"You say that like it's a bad thing," Samantha muttered, burrowing deeper into his shoulder. It had suddenly occurred to Regulus that he had an entirely muggle woman snuggled up against him at the moment, and wasn't minding it one bit.

"When I was young and stupid I thought it was. I've had some changes in view over time though. And that whole killing and torturing thing the Death Eaters fancied? Really not for me. Don't like to get my hands dirty if I can help it." The truth of the matter was that he was scared to death of what he was being asked to do by them, especially to people who he finally realized were just like he was, with their own sort of magic he couldn't even begin to comprehend. He went for the wine again, spilling some over his chin and down his neck. "And then there's Sirius." Regulus blinked blearily. "Can't see his constellation. Always used to be able to find it, but now it's not there. Nothing in this sky looks right."

Samantha looked up at the sky also. "Where's Sirius?"

"A long, long ways away. My bastard of a brother. Stubborn arse, really. Ran away from the family at sixteen and never looked back." Regulus trailed off thoughtfully. "He always knew what he wanted, though. Knew that the pureblood mania of the Black family wasn't for him, and stuck to that." He sighed heavily. "I thought maybe that once I had escaped the Death Eaters for good I could try and catch up with him, make things better between us…didn't happen though. Sort of knew it wouldn't; they weren't going to let me leave alive."

"I miss my brother too," Samantha sighed. "I think I had a brother, years back. S'not quite clear. Fuzzy little forest animal. Called him a buttmunch."

"Buttmunch?"

She shrugged, shoulders moving against his arms. "It seemed like a good idea at the time."

Regulus smiled in the direction of the stars, imaging that he could see Sirius through the clouds. "Brothers are definitely funny creatures."


	3. Chapter 2: Unintended Answers

Sorry for the delay in posting this. I've been a bit wary to post because I recently found out that someone on this site (I'm not going to say who it was or in what fandom it occurred, however) ripped off a few of my most well known stories for use in their own fic without asking me for any sort of permission. Forget permission, it's downright plagiarism, and I'm really furious about it. If any readers out there see this happening with any stories, whether it's their own stories or someone else's, please don't stand for it, report it to the FanFiction . net admins or the admins on their respective sites. Writers put so much of themselves, their time, their spirits, and more into their stories, and to see someone blatantly steal their work without any permission or credit whatsoever should not be tolerated. That being said, let me put the standard fanfic disclaimer here: the characters and quotes in this story all belong to their respective owners; I'm just playing in their sandbox for a little while.

Okay, thank you for letting me get that out of my system. On with the fic.

* * *

Chapter Two: Unintended Answers

* * *

One day the world almost ended. They didn't really notice though, as they weren't quite on Earth proper, and a little outside the boundaries of Armageddon.

* * *

The day after the almost-but-not-quite Armageddon an angel and a demon showed up in the place, each claiming to be a watchdog for their respective bosses. The angel looked stereotypical, all white glow and wings, while the demon took on the form of a rather disgruntled looking taxicab driver, the brim of his newsboy cap pulled way down low over dull red eyes. The angel's name was Oriel; the demon called himself Monty.

"Do you think their presence has to do with that tremor we felt yesterday?" Regulus asked Samantha, practically screaming over the noise of the crowds that had gathered in the sreets to greet the new arrivals.

"Has to be," Samantha replied, distracted. She had to ask that angel a question, first chance she got.

Her chance came later that night, sneaking out of the apartment and heading over to the angel's new dwelling as fast as possible. She wasn't the only one who'd had that idea, however. There was a short line of folk waiting outside the door for their chances to have an audience with the angel. Samantha sighed, sat down with her back against an old stone bench, and waited.

It was almost dawn by the time Samantha's turn had arrived. She awoke with a gasp, seeing the angel hovering over her with his hand on her shoulder. "Come inside," Oriel said, turning to go back into the building. "Would you like some tea or coffee?" he offered.

"Mmm. Coffee," Samantha mumbled, falling into a chair. The angel poured some out for her (manifesting it from where only someone knew) and sat down opposite her.

"Now, how can I help you?"

Samantha sipped her coffee, then put the mug down with a clank and glared up at the angel. "I want to know why I didn't die properly."

The angel was obviously taken aback. It wasn't the question he was expecting. The questions thus far had been more along the lines of reassuring the living left behind, standard concerns for those who had moved onto the next stage of their existence. Samantha continued on. "I saw the light, felt a change…and woke up in that field. I've been here for years, and I'm pretty damn sure by now this isn't heaven or hell. So why didn't I die right?"

"You were taken here by the walk-ins, I believe, as the humans like to call them. Walk-ins are not perfect creatures. They were humans at one point, but they changed. Vigilante souls, so to speak. They save people according to their whims, who they feel is worthy."

"So they felt I was worthy of being saved?"

"They feel that way about most children. They are the young and innocent and deserve a second chance at life." The angel shrugged. "Being imperfect creatures, however, means that sometimes the people they try to save end up getting lost along the way."

Samantha resisted the urge to roll her eyes. "So they forgot about me and I got stuck here. Great." It hadn't occurred to Samantha that maybe she was the one who had wandered off, not content with an eternity of Elgar and Liszt. She looked up at Oriel. "Can you maybe try to find out, up there, you know, why I can't get in? There's got to be more of a reason than I just got lost, especially if I can talk to you here."

The angel frowned a bit, looking pensive. "I shall try, but I cannot guarantee that you will want to hear the answer."

"I'm just happy you're going to try."

* * *

Regulus rubbed at his eyes. Ever since 'Monty' had shown up he seemed to have a persistent low grade headache lurking right behind his eyes. He also found himself hissing more, and he really couldn't explain it. Sounded like a bloody teakettle at times.

He slouched on the couch next to Samantha, who had the remote in her hands and was flipping through the channels. She eventually ended up on some American show, something inane about teenage undercover cops. It didn't really register though, and he rubbed at his aching eyes again.

"What the hell are you doing?" Samantha asked, tossing the remote onto the table and turning to him.

"My eyes bloody hurt," he gritted out, pulling his hand away and blinking roughly.

"Have you…" her voice trailed off as he looked up at her.

"What?"

"Do you trust me, Regulus?" she suddenly asked.

"Yeah, of course. Why?" Regulus watched her as she moved behind him, placing her hands on his shoulders.

"Just trust me." She covered his eyes with her hands, palms warm against his cheekbones. "Stand up."

Blind to the world, he stood up. "Okay," she mumbled, starting to move him in front of her. They walked for a little bit until Regulus felt cold tile under his feet—the bathroom. The light switch clicked, and Samantha moved him into a position. "Okay," she said again. Her hands pulled away, and he blinked at the sudden rush of light.

"What is i—" Regulus's voice abruptly cut out as he caught sight of his eyes in the mirror. Instead of their normal grey color they were a bright and almost sickly toned golden yellow, with slitted pupils. "Holy fucking Merlin," he breathed.

"I think that's why your eyes have been hurting lately, ever since the demons first invaded that day, right?" Samantha moved around to face him, hopping up onto the sink counter. "I saw your eyes change that day for the first time," she whispered. "They've been going back and forth since then, especially when you get emotional. I think you might be one of them." There was no question what 'them' she was referring to.

"In part, at least. God only knows what sort of foul creatures my mum was sleeping with. It wasn't my father, that's for sure. He had his own special _mates_," Regulus sighed, pushing his hair back away from his eyes and leaning in closer to look at them. His chin was brushing Samantha's shoulder.

"I also think that's why you didn't die properly either. Demons like that, _like you_, don't die all that easily," Samantha said softly into his ear. "And I think that's why you're here, with me, instead of heaven or hell, maybe."

"You'd really want to stay here with a demon though?" Regulus muttered, not looking at her.

Samantha put a few fingers on his chin, guiding his eyes to her. "I trust _you_. We've been here for ages and you've had every chance to hurt me, but you haven't. So demon or not, I don't care. I trust you. Doesn't matter what your blood is."

Without warning or hesitation Regulus bent slightly and kissed her full on the mouth. It was sudden and soft, and lasted for longer than either one of them had though a kiss could. Samantha's hand cupped his cheek briefly, and she exhaled a shaky breath against his lips. In that moment the thought occurred to Regulus that the insecure and lost fourteen year old girl that he had met that first day was still lurking inside the grown body, and that this just might have been her first kiss.

Finally Samantha pulled away, her face a bit flushed. "So I'm not really and truly dead. Huh," Regulus mumbled dazedly.

Samantha smirked a bit, even though it was a slightly sad smirk. "Maybe you are by a human standard, but not by a demon's one. Sorry."

They didn't kiss again until the day they decided to escape from the nameless place and try to make their way back to Earth.

* * *

A few days later Samantha received a missive from the angel, asking if she would like to come over for a chat. Regulus was skeptical, but she went anyway, knowing that if Regulus had known what she had asked….well, it wouldn't be pretty.

The angel was sitting outside his abode when she arrived. "Well?" she asked, throwing all pleasantries aside.

"You're not going to like this," Oriel said guardedly.

Samantha leaned back against an old and twisted tree trunk. "Great. So what's the bad news?"

"It's that rather typical line: It's just not your time yet." The angel idly stuck a wing out and groomed the feathers.

She clenched her jaw—it was that or let it drop all the way to the dusty ground. "You've gotta be kidding me."

"Alas, no. Actually, there's very little information relating to you that I could find there. That was a bit surprising, but everything seems to come from a higher up area where even I don't have access." Samantha exhaled sharply and spun on her feet, heading back towards the City. "Please, wait," Oriel called after her.

"This is bullshit!" she shot back, not stopping.

"There is a plan! There's always a plan. We may not be able to see it right now, but it exists."

"Screw the plan!" She began to run, not stopping or thinking until she walked into the door of the flat. Regulus wasn't there, and she collapsed onto the couch.

She wanted to think that it wasn't fair. She wanted to rage about lost chances and lost lives, how everything was taken away from her and how she was just here waiting for something unknown. But she just didn't seem to have the energy within her. As Regulus would say, she just couldn't be arsed to care. She glanced outside the window, seeing a still vision of glass and girders, unmoving and unchanging, glittering weakly under a cloudy sky shot through with the occasional beam of watery sunlight.

God, she was so tired.

With a sigh of finality, she walked off.

* * *

Regulus got back to the flat after dark. There had been some rumors brewing throughout the community. There was a storm coming, folk were saying. The ones who had been there for ages, even longer than he and Samantha, couldn't remember the last time there was a change in weather. All they could ever recall was the pale sunlight through heavy clouds. It was a bad omen, the whispered voices said.

The flat was unusually quiet. Samantha, more often than not, fell asleep in front of the television. The living room was silent and dark. The only light was a thin stripe coming from beneath the bathroom door.

"Sam?"

Something was very wrong.

In the space of a blink he was in front of the door, a shaky hand grasping the knob. He threw the door open roughly, preferring to scare the crap out of her rather than make himself sick with the anticipation.

"Oh fucking Merlin."

The water in the overflowing bathtub was a patchy translucent red, with the clouds emanating from the ragged gashes on Samantha's wrists. She was submerged, short hair like a mass of thorns around her blurry face. Regulus kicked away the bloody knife that was on the floor holding sentry over the bathtub and fell to his knees. He grabbed her hand, still surprisingly warm given the chilled temperature of the water, and hauled it out.

"Oh, God," he whispered, pressing a kiss to the back of her fingers. He turned her hand over to take a look at the slashes there—

-and paused. Then gaped a bit.

The flesh seemed to be knitting itself back together. Tendons and veins wove in patterns, sealing flawlessly. The muscles surged back into place like a commanding army, and the skin wrapped itself over all, leaving a smooth and perfect inner wrist behind.

Samantha sat up with a scream, water cascading off of her. Regulus jumped back only a slight bit, but he recovered quickly enough and grasped her shoulder with his free hand. "What happened?" he asked roughly, his voice cracking.

Her face crumpled, tears mingling with pale pink streaks of water. She wasn't a very pretty crier, but not many people are. "I'm so tired, Regulus," she sobbed. "I just want to rest."

Regulus pulled her into a tight hug, not caring about how messy his clothes got or how achy his knees were. "Just wanna rest," Samantha muttered again, warm fingers grasping at his shirt.

* * *

They slept for about a year, give or take a few days. Regulus never left her side.

(Except for once in February, to use the loo and have a cigarette. He wasn't a smoker, but felt the situation warranted one.)

* * *

"The angel told me there was a plan."

The two were buried deep under blankets of Samantha's bed, with Regulus's wand giving off a soft _lumos_, highlighting the clasped hands between them. There was something womb-like about the whole thing, but the two of them just focused on the warmth of wool and cotton. "I asked him why I hadn't died properly, why I'd ended up here, and all he could tell me was that it wasn't my time and that there was a plan."

"So you decided to take matters into your own hands?" Regulus asked.

She nodded. "Thought maybe I could buck the plan, prove them wrong."

Regulus's eyes fluttered shut briefly. "Did you even think how this would affect me?" He didn't go into details about the nightmarish images that kept flashing through his head; didn't have to.

"No. I'm sorry. There's…no excuse." She gripped his hand tighter. "You've done so much for me since I've been here…and I hurt you. I'm so sorry."

"It's all in the past now." Regulus twisted their hands to reveal her inner wrist. "And besides, it looks like things fixed themselves anyway."

Samantha snorted, a bitter grin twisting her face. "Yeah. Damn plan in action."

"Almost ineffable, really." There was a silence and Regulus studied Samantha's fingernails, ragged from where she'd bitten them off when they first woke up. They could both benefit from a shower and haircut too. "You feeling better now?"

"I think better's a-a relative term. I'm not going to toss myself out the window though, if that's any comfort."

"It is. I'd miss you if you were gone, you know."


	4. Chapter 3: Unintended Questions

And yet another long gap between updates, I'm sorry! Between real life being a right pain (still no luck finding a job...ick) and constantly tinkering with this story (adding scenes, doing final edits...and realizing that the ending point I currently have may not work. Which means that the story will be longer than I thought it would and that I've still got some writing to do) posting was delayed. So, to make up for that you're getting two chapters at once. Thanks for reading!

* * *

* * *

**Chapter Three: Unintended Questions**

* * *

Regulus felt that he was losing his ingrained Slytherin side. He suspected it was something about this place, that it just drained all of the character out of him and left him a bit of a shell, or a girl's paper doll. He did not like that at all. Even not quite dead he felt he should retain what made him, well, him. The Hogwarts ghosts still kept their personalities after death, didn't they? He wanted to recapture his slyness, his intelligence. Hell, he was a member of the damn Slug Club for goodness sake.

It was then that he made a decision that would take all of his ambition and cunning in order to find out the answer. He wasn't going to tell Samantha just yet, not until he got some concrete answers. If it didn't pan out, then it was no big deal and they could just keep on moving. But if it did… He felt the grin spread over his face as he walked through the decaying streets. When it came down to it, he was doing this as much for Samantha as he was for himself. Seeing her lying in that bathtub, looking as horrifying close to a real death as he'd ever imagined had rattled him more than he liked to admit. So now it was time to stop being complacent and use some of that ambition that Slytherins were renowned for.

He was determined to find out which demon his mother shagged all those years ago in order to conceive him. And who better to answer that question than a fellow demon?

Regulus banged on the door to Monty's hovel, a residence that looked more like a decrepit pile of lumber than anything else. "Oi, Monty! Open up!" he hollered. The door was cracked just a smidge, and he could see the scowling visage of the demon through it. With a twist to his lips, he let his eyes slide into the slitted yellow pupils.

"What d'you want?" Monty grumbled in a voice that sounded like it was chomping on rocks.

"I've got a bit of a question for you, mate," Regulus said with his most disarming grin (he'd learned it from his brother. As much of an arse Sirius could be, he had a smile on him that made men and women weak in the legs). Unfortunately, disarming smiles didn't work on demons, or at least this one in particular.

"I'm busy right now, come back tomorrow." They both knew he wasn't really busy, so with a sharp kick Regulus forced the door open. "Hey, watch it, you bastard!" Monty said as Regulus walked in and made himself comfortable on a swaybacked couch.

'Bastard, that's ironic,' he thought, propping his legs up on the coffee table. "So how've things been going, Monty?" Regulus asked, flicking his yellow eyes around the room.

"What the fuck do you want, you arse?" Monty spat out, pushing Regulus's feet off the table and moving over to an armchair that was just as swayed and dirty as the rest of the place was.

"I need answers, Monty, and you are probably the best person in this godforsaken place who can help me," he said, leaning forward in what he thought was an intimidating manner.

"What's in it for me?" Monty fired back.

Regulus arched a black eyebrow. "I won't tell the angel about that little collection you keep in the basement of this place."

Monty flushed angrily—it wasn't a good look for him. "Fair enough."

"I thought demons didn't play fair."

"We don't."

"We'll see about that." Regulus sat back on the couch, steadily ignoring the creeping feeling that was going over his skin. He didn't want to know what was lurking in that thing… "Walburga Black. Sometimes she liked to go by the name Olympias in her more fanciful moods. I want to know if she summoned up any demons in the early 1960s."

Monty snorted. "I can try. Hell is a bureaucrat's wet dream or nightmare, depending on how you look at it. Their records department is vast and fucking disorganized; it's gonna take a long time to find that answer for you."

Regulus nodded. "Time is one thing I've got here."

* * *

_ "So what's a nice girl like you doing in a place like this?" Samantha looked around from her perch on the boulder and found a young man sitting next to her. Deep dark hair, blue eyes with a certain sparkle in them, strong jawline…and something about him that spoke to both his teenage appearance and an age old wisdom._

_ "Who the hell are you?" she shot back, flipping a piece of hair off of her forehead. The wind was picking up, coming in from the sea and brushing against the shoreline they were currently staring at._

_ The teen shrugged. "Just a figment of your imagination at this point. That may change though, I warn you." He smiled with the corner of his lips, quirking one side upwards. There was something familiar about that smile, but she couldn't seem to put her finger on it._

_ "Great," she sighed. "Even my hallucinations are snarky."_

_ "I wouldn't say I'm a hallucination. I exist." He pinched himself on his arm, leaving a red welt behind. "Yep, I've definitely achieved some state of existence. That did hurt, by the way. Although I've heard it said before that if you can feel, then you know you're alive."_

_ Samantha smirked herself. Snarky he may have been, but there was something quite likeable there too. "So, you who exist, what are you popping up around here for?"_

_ He smiled wide this time, revealing perfect white teeth. "Oh, this is just an introduction. You're going to have to wait a little longer before I tell you that."_

Samantha woke up with a start, unsettling the blankets. "Bloody dreams," she muttered, punching a pillow and pushing her face down into it in the aim of getting some more sleep.

* * *

Regulus snorted to himself at the absurdity of the situation. However many years dead, the discovery of some demonic ancestry, and a little fact-finding and intimidation, and he still found himself stuck waiting in ridiculously long lines to pay for groceries. He gripped his basket and slouched against the racks filled with magazines proclaiming such scintillating articles such as "Recycling your life stories in a post-mortem world" and "Death and Dating: a spectre's guide to romance" while waiting for the line to move.

Finally the groceries were all paid up, and Regulus hot-footed it out of the market. In his haste to leave, he didn't realize that he slammed into another body until one of his bags ended up on the pavement. "Sorry, mate," Regulus hastily apologized, bending down to scoop up the groceries.

"Oh, it's no problem," a smooth and cultured voice said. Regulus looked up to see a young man, maybe only a few years older than himself, standing over him. They were both wearing long jackets, but that was where the similarities ended. Whereas Regulus was becoming more and more casual the longer he lived in the wasteland (who exactly was he going to get dressed up for here?), this man was impeccably put together in a well cut suit, slicked back hair, and wire-framed glasses. He held out a carton of strawberries that had fallen out of the bag.

"Thanks," he nodded, taking the berries.

"My pleasure." He smiled at Regulus, who felt a sudden chill creep down his spine. There was something off about the man's smile, like it didn't quite match up with the rest of his face. "It's not often that we get…people of your caliber here," he continued.

Regulus had the feeling that he wasn't talking about wizards. "Um, thanks…I think. He held up the bags, vaguely thinking that they made some pretty poor shields in case of a fight. "I really need to get these back."

The man stepped to the side and waved a hand out towards the street. "After you. If you're ever interested in a real challenge, however, just speak up. There are those of us here who would be more than willing to assist you."

Regulus gave the man in the suit a wary glance, then hustled out the door. Something wasn't right with that bloke, and he did _not_ want to stick around to find out what it was. In the end Regulus took a roundabout route back to the flat, doubling back and covering his tracks until he was sure no one was following.

* * *

_a/n: So we've got two new characters on the scene. Hmm..._


	5. Chapter 4: Unintended Path

**Chapter Four: Unintended Path**

* * *

"And you haven't seen him in a week?" Regulus watched with a sinking stomach as the small crowd around the table of the outdoor café shook their heads in unison. He was trying his damnedest to track down Monty, but the demon's shack was empty and apparently had been for a while. Now this. He'd even let his eyes slip a little into the yellow slitted look, but all that had got him were even more fearful expressions. "All right, thanks anyway."

He walked off, more than a little frustrated. He supposed though that he shouldn't have been all that surprised by the delay. Demons held their own schedules and scarcely wavered—especially for the likes of some young punk such as him. He still hadn't figured out where to classify the creep from the grocery store.

Regulus decided he would take a walk, a leisurely stroll around the wreck of a place. He didn't feel like heading back to the flat just yet anyway. Samantha was in one of her moods. There was no mistake, she was feeling far better than she had at the time of the incident, but she still got strange spells now and then. When he'd left her earlier that day she was looking out the window, eyes unfocused, and mumbling something about red and blue plastic pieces on a board.

Feeling rather silly, Regulus shut his eyes, spun around on one foot until he was too dizzy to tell up from down, and started walking in whatever direction he faced. He opened his eyes after he crashed into the side of a building with his second step.

As he walked the city gave way to smaller houses, reminding him in some way of Hagrid's hut back on the old Hogwarts grounds: small and squat, with faded and stained white porches. Part of him thought they were kind of cute. He found it very strange ('Don't kid yourself, Regulus, everything is strange here') that the houses on the road were abandoned. Doors swung wide in the breeze. They'd be inviting if it weren't for the wind that grew and tugged at him harder with every step down the straight road. The wind only got stronger as the cracked pavement ended and he stepped forward onto rocky soil, packed hard by the perpetual breeze.

"Can't stop now," Regulus muttered. He felt a bit…disconnected, really. His brain had become focused on following the path he was on, time and distance irrelevant. There was something he had to see at the end of it, something that would be the key to all things as long as he had the right decoder.

The wind shifted just a smidge, bringing a sudden smell with it, clear and sharp and salty. "The sea," he mumbled dazedly. He'd only experienced that scent once before in his life, the day he died. It had been a moonlight night over a roiling sea, and he stood there on the shore knowing it was a journey he probably wasn't going to return from. He didn't stop walking until the toes of his boots just began to brush up against grey waves.

Regulus exhaled deeply, feeling the salt water spray against his face. His hair was blown straight back and his eyes squinted against the onslaught. This sea was different than the last one he saw. The other one had that thin, dark line in the distance that spoke of something else being out there. This sea was like outer space, an infinite mass stretching out in all directions, with no visible signs of life.

But there was that little voice in his brain saying that just beyond the ocean…

He blinked and shook his head slightly as the voice gave a final whimper and faded back into the empty sea. "Strange," he whispered. No one back in the city talked about this place ever. By his best estimation they'd been there for over twenty years, probably closer to twenty-five at that point (despite the fact that it often felt like only a few months had passed since they'd arrived-time didn't seem to flow normally in this place), and not one word had been breathed about this ocean. "_Hronrāde_," he muttered to himself, using a barely-remembered term for the sea heard in his childhood. The whale-road.

A glance to his left revealed another part to the mystery. The land curved around the water like the hook on an umbrella, and it was covered in willow trees. The trees were old and massive, sending tendrils like grey sweeping veils to dance along the ground and dangle in the water. This time it was a phrase from a Divination class that came to mind. "Lift it back and reveal the secrets."

Regulus turned to walk into the woods, wanting to keep going. If he quit now, he wouldn't learn. Without warning, a strong wave pushed up against his legs, soaking his jeans straight through and almost sending him into the water. "Great," he muttered, moving a few steps back to avoid any more rogue waves.

The next wave came on fast, larger than the last and knocking him down. Before he could even scream the water slammed over his head, picked him up, and tossed him about, bumping and dragging his body along the rocky sea bottom. He gasped for breath, and felt the water flood into his mouth. His lungs burned, and what little he could see through the grey was starting to get even spottier. Finally, when he thought that it was really almost over, he slammed into something hard and smooth and the water retreated, leaving him a sodden mess.

He turned over and coughed harshly, bracing his forehead on his arm. When the fit passed Regulus looked up and found that he had washed up on the stoop of his apartment building. 'What the fuck?' he thought, his throat too sore to even speak.

* * *

_ "Okay, flip your piece."_

_ Samantha, playing the red pieces, turned her piece around as the young man flipped his blue one. "Dammit," she swore, picking up her man and tossing it to the side of the board._

_ "General trumps Lieutenant," he grinned._

_ "Yeah, but you're still not any closer to getting my flag," Samantha shot back._

_ "Strategy takes time," he shrugged. "Sometimes, you learn the most in the process to get to the end rather than getting everything from the final product."_

_ "And you're not talking about the game anymore, are you?" These dreams never were just about the surface meanings, she was coming to learn._

_ "Oh, I don't know. Every move we make on this board we store in our heads so that we can use all of them to capture the flag." He glanced up at her, eyes sparking just a tiny bit. "Of course, it's the same in life too."_

_ "Ha! What did I just say?" Samantha pulled a pine needle out of her hair and twirled it around her fingers. "So what am I supposed to learn from my current ordeal?"_

_ "Come on, if I told you that you'd never learn anything."_

_ "Gee, thanks Mom."_

_ He moved a piece along to a blank square. "You know what I mean. Every experience you're having right now, whether it be good or bad, you'll get something from. It may not make any sense to you now, but someday it'll come in handy. Besides, I'm going to need your services as a guide soon, so you'll definitely need everything you've got."_

_ Samantha was so engrossed in her next move that she missed the insinuation in the young man's last sentence. "Whaa? What the hell does that mean?" she mumbled, slowly pushing her Marshal into position._

_ "Shit!" the young man cried, looking up at her with disbelief._

_ Samantha grinned. "Got your flag."_

* * *

The door slamming pulled her out of her reverie. She turned around to see Regulus walking in, leaving puddles in his wake. "What happened to you?" she asked, watching as he went to the sink and started to shed his clothes in there.

"Don't ask."


	6. Chapter 5: Unintended Moments

Trying a bit of an experiment here and switching this to the Harry Potter section for a little while. Let's see how it fares there...

_Update: classifying this as an X-Files fic for now due to technical difficulties. Waiting for the help desk to get back to me. Wish me luck!_

Also, two chapters for the price of one tonight! Chapter five is a real short one, so chapter six is coming along as well.

Please, let me know what you think of this story. Out of all the stories I've written this is one that I'm most nervous about, so any comments you could provide would be great.

Thanks for reading.

* * *

Chapter Five: Unintended Moments

They were up on the roof again. There was a bit of a commotion going on in the streets below-some intrepid souls had even lit a bonfire a few blocks away and were heaving whatever trash they could find onto the pile. The roof was an excellent place to watch the fun. Especially enhanced by a few more glasses of wine.

"I wonder which building is going to go up in flames first?" Samantha mused, leaning forward in her chair to peer over the building's edge.

Regulus squinted, and pointed to the one just to the left of the bonfire. "That one. Wind's blowing in that direction, and Merlin knows that hut's one of the tattiest in the City."

"And then watch as the angel comes over this way, wrings his hands, and despairs at the state of sad souls around here," she snarked, tossing back some wine.

"You coming over to my side then?" Regulus had been coming around to the idea that he had a bit of demon in him. So much for pure blood then. It'd helped to give him a little more of a life though, so there were obviously some benefits to it. Bit by bit he was changing…into the person he wanted to be or the person he never imagined he was, he didn't know. At this stage though, it was pointless to fight. He'd gotten a second chance, and damned if he wasn't going to enjoy it.

"I've decided I don't do sides. I just care about getting myself and the people I care about out of this mess." She shrugged. "Both sides are fucked up. Just get me back to Earth, and I'll be happy."

"I rather like the sound of that," Regulus agreed. An especially loud clamor echoed up, and a tendril of flame licked up the side of the tatty building. This time Regulus leaned forward. "What the blazes are they cheering about?"

"Oh, that's an awful pun. Beats me, though."

Regulus slipped onto his knees and leaned his arms on the small ledge that was the only protection between the roof and lots of air space. He listened intently for a few minutes, trying to pick out words and sounds. "Okay, who is the Anchoress and why are they cheering about he, she, or it returning?"

"No clue. No one down there ever tells me anything anyways." Yet another sip of wine.

Regulus turned, braced his back against the small ledge, and stretched his legs out, nudging Samantha's bare feet with his own. "That's because you don't settle."

"Excuse me?"

"I'm not insulting you, rather the opposite as a matter of fact. I guess…you're always aiming for something bigger around here. You don't want to get mired down in this pit. The rest of these people—" he waved an arm out at the city lights, "—are content to stay here for the rest of their existence, not wondering what else is out there. Maybe they've accepted their deaths and think that this is it. But you, you're just waiting for the chance to take off and fly." Regulus smiled, the firelight glinting off of his teeth.

Samantha smiled back. _"Per aspera ad astra."_

"What's that mean exactly? Through work to the star?"

"Close enough. 'Through hardships to the stars.' It's the motto of the American Space Program, but it sort of applies to us. If we work hard enough eventually we'll hit the stars."

"Space Program? Does it research small spaces or something like that?"

Samantha giggled helplessly. "You're such a Wizard sometimes, Reg. The Space Program does exactly that, they voyage into outer space and aim for the stars." She raised both arms up to the sky, pretending she could hit one of the distant and blurry starry specks.

"Honest to goodness outer space?" Regulus felt his jaw drop just a little. Sometimes muggles really did amaze him. "Like, to the moon and everything?"

"Yup. I remember when they landed on the moon for the first time. My jerk of a brother hogged the TV for days just waiting for that moment when Apollo set its first feet on the moon."

"Your brother—"

Samantha nodded slowly. "My brother. If there was one good thing that came from the—incident—it's that I'm remembering more and more about my life before. Not all of it's pretty, and a lot of it's implausible even to me, but I know they're my memories. And I remember my brother, Fox."

"Fox? Merlin, I thought muggles were lucky enough to escape the wacky names that wizards have a tendency to give each other. Guess not."

"Tell me about it. At least I ended up with the normal name. Or a name that proves my mom watched too much television when she was pregnant with me. I haven't decided which."

"So what else do you remember?" Regulus asked, getting comfortable, letting the clamor below settle into a low background drone.

She grinned widely, wrinkling her nose up and looking even younger than she had when he'd first met her. "Baseball, baby."

* * *

They fell asleep on the roof, curled around each other. The dreams that night might have been a little different than usual. In the morning they carefully looked away from each other, lest they see things in the other's eyes that they weren't quite ready to confront.


	7. Chapter 6: Unintended Temptations

Chapter Six: Unintended Temptations

* * *

Finally, finally the demon had gotten back to him, and sent a note to Regulus telling him to come for a visit.

"Actually, what it really said was 'Get your scrawny arse over here, you bastard,'" Regulus said, tossing the note onto the table.

"Just…be careful," Samantha sighed, picking up the note and fiddling with it. "I don't trust him."

"From what I've gathered demons generally aren't the most trustworthy of beings, but who the hell else am I going to ask?"

Regulus had finally been forced to tell Samantha what he was waiting for. He'd been pacing so hard and long he kept smashing into walls again, and she'd demanded to know the cause. After her initial explosion (which involved a few broken glasses that had been hurled at his head) she'd seen the sense of it, but it still bothered her profoundly. She would have been just as bothered if he'd been speaking to the angel as well though, come to think of it. He was determined not to mention the well-dressed demon after that and instead increased the strength of the wards on the flat. Clearly, they had issues.

"Samantha." Regulus walked over to her and lightly grasped the top of her arms. "I promise it'll be all right."

"I don't trust them," she whispered, avoiding his eyes. "But I trust you."

He leaned forward and pecked her on the forehead. "I'll be back before you know it. And maybe I'll even know who my mum shagged as well, as horrifying a thought as that is."

"Urgh," she winced, squeezing her eyes shut and her head falling forward onto his shoulder. "From what you said about your mother, I really don't want to think about anything sexual in relation to her."

"Me neither, but the things we have to do in search of the truth, huh?"

"All right, get out of here. If you're not back in twenty four hours though, I reserve the right to kill you once I find you again, okay?"

Regulus grinned. "Sounds good."

The trip to Monty's shack passed quickly, and before he knew it he was standing in front of the door. There was a new crack in it, going straight down the center. It rather improved the look, really. He walked in without bothering to knock. "Nice entrance, arsehole," Monty commented from his position on the couch.

Regulus settled himself down into the chair. It wasn't good to sit too close to a demon; you never knew what could come wafting your way. "So what have you got for me?"

"Did you know your mother was one screwed up lady?"

"I grew up with her; I knew that a long time ago. Now what did you find?"

"Walburga Black summoned a demon twice—same demon actually—once in January of 1959, and again in December of 1960."

Regulus nodded thoughtfully. "Were you able to find a name for this demon?"

Monty winged a piece of paper at him. "That's his _official_ name." Regulus snatched the flying note from mid air and opened it, only to see a complicated squiggly, loopy thing on the paper there. To put it mildly, the note was totally incomprehensible. "Of course, he probably goes by something a little more human on Earth."

He looked up from the paper, brow wrinkling. "What do you mean by that?"

"I mean that from what it looks like this specific demon has been stationed on Earth for the past 6000 years, our oldest man there, really. Don't know how the hell your mummy ended up with _him_." Monty sniffed and used the TV remote to scratch at his nose. "Beyond that there's nada. The demon has been classified as untouchable, meaning if you're even going to try to get to him through Hell, you'll most likely find yourself hanging over a pit of scorpions."

"Is he that important to them? What did he do to make him untouchable?"

"Beats me. I'm the low man on the pole down there, I don't know squat. How do you think I got stuck with this cushy job? I did find out one other thing about your dear _mummy_ while I was down there."

"Really?"

"By some freak chance I got to speak to the demon in charge of her care—"

"So she ended up in hell? Why am I not surprised?" The woman was as foul as sin during her mortal lifetime; it only made sense that she burned for it afterwards.

"Don't interrupt, you ass. As I was saying the demon in charge of her, she'd mentioned that she spotted a curse that was placed on your mother." Monty paused, as if waiting for him to break in yet again. Regulus just nodded and waved a hand at him, silently telling him to move on. "The curse basically was designed to give her exactly what she didn't want out of life. It would feed off of her own biggest fears for her life and work from there."

"Huh. Interesting." There was a lot of stuff to mull over. Bits and pieces were swirling around in his brain but not fitting together…yet. Soon though. One little thing was still missing. "All right, what do I owe you for this?" he said, standing up and shoving his hands in the pockets of his long coat.

Monty shook his head. "Don't owe me anything."

Regulus arched his eyebrows. "Really? I was under the impression that demons always asked for something in return." The demon shifted uncomfortably. "What is it?"

He sighed. "Kid, look. You've got enough power in your damn pinky finger to discorporate me ten times over. And that's why just this once you get a free pass. Now please, get out of here." This time Regulus nodded, blinked, and found himself once more on his doorstep.

"Not again," he muttered to himself, and headed inside. It had been a while since he'd properly apparated. Whatever had been happening to him felt nothing like it.

Samantha was parked in front of the TV, nervously flipping through channels. As soon as Regulus walked through the door she threw the remote onto the table. "That was awfully fast," she said, leaping up. "You all right? You look a bit dazed."

"Yeah, I'm fine," he mumbled as she grabbed his hand and hauled him to the couch. "Just losing my grip on time, I think." He shook his head blearily, clearing the fuzz out of it.

"So what did you find out?" Samantha asked, a gleam in her eyes that scared him just a little bit.

"Two visits," he said, slouching back on the couch and closing his eyes. Waves of exhaustion were suddenly sweeping through his system, and he didn't know how to fight it. "January of '59, and November '60. Got a name, too." He dug out the crumpled paper and tossed it to her. "However, all it looks like is wonky scribbles."

She bit her lip and stared at the paper, unraveling and smoothing it out. "Can't make heads or tails of that." Just as Regulus's consciousness was about to give up and slide into blessed sleep, he heard her gasp sharply.

"What?"

"When were you born?"

"August 19th. Why?"

"What year?" she persisted.

"1961. Why?" He opened his eyes and sat up a bit, watching as Samantha grabbed a pen and napkin off the coffee table and started scribbling. "Here. You said August, right? Well, subtract nine or so months from that, and what do you get?"

"November 1960," he breathed, taking the napkin in limp fingers. "Holy shit. That can't be true though, I mean, we'd talked about the possibility, but…it's real."

"The numbers do work out," Samantha sighed, running a hand through her hair. "Add that to your eyes…there's a very good and strong possibility that your mother's husband wasn't your birth father. But you'd figured that already."

"Exactly what she doesn't want," Regulus whispered to himself, leaning forward to shrug his arms out of his coat. He was feeling stifled, all of a sudden. "Monty'd told me something he'd found about my mum down there. He said that she'd had a curse put on her by this demon, to give her exactly what she doesn't want."

"You explained to me once about your family's loony ideas—that whole pureblood supremacy bit. Having a son that wasn't pureblooded, hell, not entirely human would definitely end up on the something unwanted list if I were her."

Regulus tugged at the collar of his shirt and loosed the first button, a vain attempt at a little more breathing room. "No…" That damn bolt of mental lightning was hitting again, and another puzzle piece was clicking into the greater picture. "She raised me to be the perfect pureblood prince. I would have stayed that way too, not knowing anything about this other side of myself, if I hadn't run out on the Death Eaters and died. What she really wouldn't have wanted, what would have gotten her so totally angry and frustrated would be a blood traitor in the family. And if that blood traitor was her own son, it would have been a disaster."

Samantha frowned briefly. "What are you saying?"

"My brother. The heir to the family who ran away when he was sixteen because he didn't agree with the rest of the Blacks. Her firstborn son. That would be her worst nightmare. Where's that paper again?" He grabbed the napkin off the table and muttered to himself as he worked. "Okay, Sirius was born in October of '59. Now go back those nine months…and it lands us right in the time frame of that first visit, back in January."

"So you think that both you and your brother are the spawn of this nameless demon?"

"Yes. No. Ye-I don't know." He tugged at the ends of his hair. "It doesn't seem like my mum to have two children that weren't by her husband, but Sirius was without a doubt the bane of her existence. The direct result of a curse to give her exactly what she didn't want out of life. But still, I reckon…I don't have the slightest clue."

"Maybe what you need to do is find your brother then? If we can find him and talk to him, maybe that'll give us a clue as to whether you have the same demonic daddy?"

"That would be a good idea, except no doubt he one-thinks I'm dead as a bloody doornail and two-is back on Earth."

"Pity that," Samantha sighed. There was almost a sarcastic tone to her voice, but Regulus couldn't quite put his finger on what the emotion was. A blink of her eyes though and the emotion fled, leaving determination behind. "Okay, you've had a major day. Lay down here and let me get you some tea, all right?" She leapt up off the couch, leaving a Regulus in her wake that was fading off to dreamland once more.

* * *

_Regulus dreamed he was sitting in an incredibly hard chair in an incredibly cramped and incredibly hot office. In fact, even though he was sitting there in the boxers and t-shirt he'd fallen asleep in, he could feel the sweat dripping down his back. The dapper young man sitting on the other side of the industrial metal desk looked fresh as a cool breeze, however. Regulus's eyes darted around the room. It looked like a muggle office by his best guess, complete with odd metal cabinets lining the walls._

_ The man closed the folder in front of him and looked up at Regulus with a smile. "So," he said, steepling his hands in front of him, "now you know the truth."_

_ "Excuse me?"_

_ "The truth about yourself. You've got a noble lineage, and quite a lot of power to go with it."_

_ Regulus frowned. "So?" That wasn't anyone's business but his own._

_ He spread his hands out in front of him, as if he were offering a present. "So you've got all of this power at your fingertips, and you seem like quite the ambitious and intelligent young lad. You were a Slytherin, correct? Why not use that power and ambition to make the City exactly what you envision it to be? We could use a man like you around here."_

_ Regulus swallowed, his tongue feeling thick in his mouth. "That's a, uh, tempting offer," he said. "I'm going to have to think about it, though. Talk it over with a few people, you know?"_

_ "Oh, come on," the young man said, leaning forward and pushing his glasses up his nose. "You could make this world your personal paradise. Anybody would kill for an opportunity like that."_

_ "I said I'll think about it," Regulus hissed, his patience worn and his instincts screaming to get out of this situation as fast as inhumanly possible. "Now get out of my head please."_

_ The young man snapped his fingers –_

- and Regulus woke with a start. He kicked the blankets away, feeling like his skin was roasting. The sky was still dark, only highlighted by the streetlamps. He signed and flopped back onto his pillow. He didn't think he was going to be sleeping anytime soon.


	8. Chapter 7: Unintended Memories

And here we go, the next two chapters at once! These are two of my favorite in the entire story, actually, so I hope you readers out there enjoy them and drop me a line to let me know what you think!

I'd also like to know your opinions on the future direction of this universe. I'm debating the merits of linking this to an existing HP / XF crossover I've got here on this site. In order to do so, however, I'll have to take the story truly AU as I'll need one character alive in order to make the link between the universes. I can still keep the universe occurring like I want to without the character, but it'll be a lot more fun with them in there. For more details, check out the second part of 'Saints Captive in Chains' that I'll be posting shortly. That should give you enough of an idea of who I want to bring into this universe. Any thoughts and options are welcome!

* * *

Chapter Seven: Unintended Memories

For once, Samantha was sleeping soundly. She had made it into her bedroom before passing out on the couch and was now comfortably buried in the piles of blankets adorning her bed. Through a sleepy haze she could see streetlights outside, peeking around and over buildings with an odd golden glow. It was something to be pondered in the morning, she thought, and her eyes fell shut.

A soft knock at the door pulled her back, however, and she looked up to see Regulus standing awkwardly in the doorway. He looked like he'd been trying to sleep as well, clad in boxers and an old t-shirt. "What's up?" she asked, attempting to push herself up even further.

He shrugged bashfully, looking like the little boy that he hadn't been in a very long time. "Can I come in?"

"Sure." She tossed the blankets back and beckoned him over. Regulus slipped in and Samantha rearranged the blankets to cover them both. "What's going on?" she asked again, watching as Regulus settled back against a pillow and exhaled heavily.

"I reckon you're going to think it's rather silly."

"Probably, but that's never stopped you before."

He huffed, a brief laughing breath. "Well,I couldn't sleep. Then I started thinking that we've never really had any holidays since we've been here. There's a part of me somewhere deep down that really feels like it needs a Christmas celebration."

Samantha resisted the urge to giggle, but let a wide smile spread across her face as she wrapped her arms around a pillow. In the lengthy time they'd known each other, she'd never expected him to come out with something like this. "Really?"

Regulus nodded. "Yes. Christmas itself wasn't always the best of days in my house. Usually it was a large gathering of inbred relatives getting together to complain long and loud everything wrong with the wizarding world at the time. But I remember while at Hogwarts, they had the whole place tarted out in Christmas finery. I miss the candles and the fires and the scent of pine. I don't know. I guess it's a bit maudlin to get all drippy about a silly holiday."

Samantha shook her head. "It's not. It's an honest thing to miss, you know?"

He rolled over to face her, the streetlights making a bit of a glow around his hair. "What do you miss?"

"Hmmmm." She hugged her pillow tighter. "Do you want the mundane everyday things or something special?"

"Special, please."

"Okay." She worried her lip, tugging at it with long fingers. "I think one of the things I really, really miss is music. Through good or bad, there's always music around, in all its variety."

Regulus shrugged. "I don't know. Do I really miss some aging witch's caterwauling?"

She shot him a sidelong glance. "Is that all that wizarding music is?"

"It's the only music approved by the pureblood code." He rolled his eyes.

"Poor deprived magic boy."

"Hey!"

"It's true. There's so many damn different types of music out there, it's a magic all its own." A smile spread across her face and her eyes grew distant. "I remember once, when I was about six or so, my brother came home with this new album. He snuck it in; my parents didn't want him to have it, but he bought it at the local record shop anyway. He was only ten at the time, and my parents didn't think he was mature enough to listen to it. But did he care? Nope. Anyways, one night when my parents were down at the beach with their friends, my brother took out the album and started playing it. He didn't think I was listening. I was supposed to be asleep, but I always stayed up when my parents were out. The first thing I hear is this amazing electronic bit, like a cycle thing over and over, and then a piano and the drums come in…I wish I could hum it for you, but I don't think there's anyway I can, it's like nothing else I've ever heard. It was almost like something out of some weird sci-fi show, very futuristic."

"Okay, none of those words make any sense to me."

"Even after all of these years I wonder about the quality of your education in the wizarding world."

"Oh, bite me."

"Don't tempt me. Now let me finish my story. The words kicked in right after that, but I was too young to get it. I heard the song again though right before I died, and things became much clearer." Samantha was amazed at herself for being able to remember all of that. Of late, memories kept sliding back, in both hazy vague forms and sharply clear incidents, but for what purpose she didn't know.

"Do you remember any of the words?" Regulus asked. "I can still remember all of those Christmas Carols. 'God Rest Ye Merrye Hippogryffs was a favorite of my brother."

"Not really. I've got a tune in my head, and I can almost make out a lyric, but it's just there on the tip of my tongue, not in reach." Okay, maybe the memory wasn't as clear as she'd hoped. But still, progress.

"One day you're going to have to introduce me to the wide world of muggle music," Regulus smiled, yawning briefly.

"I plan on it, as soon as I can find a record player in this wasteland," Samantha grinned back, reaching out a hand to tap his nose. "And then we'll find a Christmas tree and string up some lights; how does that sound?"

"Like a very good idea."

"D'you think you can sleep now?"

"I think I could. Do you mind if I crash here?"

"Not at all. I should warn you though, I kick."

"I know. I think we'll be fine."

* * *

_ "Hey you. Let's get together before we get much older, huh?"_

_ Samantha looked over at the boy who was throwing a rock up in the air and catching it. "Is that a hint that we need to meet up more often?" she asked, sitting down on an old log in front of him._

_ "You can take it that way if you want. I bet you the answer's a bit simpler than that though."_

_ "Wow, I'm here for barely thirty seconds and already you start in with the cryptic shit. That's impressive in an infuriating sort of way," she commented._

_ The boy grinned, a wide, slightly lopsided, and altogether very familiar grin. "I try," he said._

_ "Well while I've got you here, I've got a question for you," Samantha said, squirming around and trying to get comfortable on the bumpy log._

_ "Fire away."_

_ "Last time we met up, you said you needed my services. Please clarify that, especially if it concerns the health and well-being of myself and others I care about."_

_ The young man (and at this moment, he looked more like a man than a teenage boy, Samantha thought) sighed and tugged at his lower lip with long fingers. "You really want to know?"_

_ "Yes, I do."_

_ "I'll tell you what I can then, I guess. There are some unspoken rules about this place, and I can't give away anything, you know? But I'll try to give you something."_

_ "Fair enough," she nodded._

_ The young man sat back, leaning against the log by Samantha's feet, staring off into the woods. "I saved the world."_

_ "Really." The skeptical tone in Samantha's voice was unmistakable._

_ "No lie, I did. Don't ask me how. I don't even understand what I did, but I know I did it. The thing is, when you do something like that there are always consequences. Consequences that I'm going to need help to dig myself out of."_

_ "Okay," she said slowly, trying to understand. "Why me, though? What did I do to get your attention to make you pick me for this thing?" Samantha asked, looking down at the boy's dark head._

_His lip curled up a little bit, just enough to tell her he was a bit amused by her question. "Can't tell ya. At least not yet. But you are special, please don't doubt that." He suddenly sat up straight, his face going even paler than usual._

"_What is it?" Samantha asked, sliding to the ground beside him. She reached out to touch his cheek, which had quickly gone clammy and damp._

_ "You've got to go back-it's Regulus; he's in trouble."_

_ "Wait, how do you know about Regulus? I never mentioned—"_

_ "Doesn't matter. You have to get moving though. He's about to do something that's either phenomenally stupid or astoundingly brilliant." He looked over at her, blue eyes shining wetly. "Go. NOW!"_

* * *

a/n: So, any thoughts on who the boy in the dreams is yet?_  
_


	9. Chapter 8: Unintended Revelations

Chapter Eight: Unintended Revelations

* * *

With a gasp and a feeling that her stomach was settling back into place, Samantha woke up. Frantically, she pushed herself up and looked around the darkened room. The only thing that clearly stood out was that Regulus wasn't there anymore, the covers on his side of the bed tossed back and a warm depression where his body should have been. "Reg?" she called out, hearing only silence in response.

Somewhere there was a faint click…a door closing? "Reg?" she asked again as she slid out of bed and scrambled around for a pair of trainers. A bathrobe was quickly grabbed and tossed over her thin nightgown as she made for the front door. She headed out of the flat and stared around the hallway. There was no sign of him, but her gut was telling her to go downstairs and outside. A quick trip down the elevator and she was running out through the tall glass doors.

Samantha looked up and down the street, and off in the distance spotted a figure walking away from her. With a deep breath she took off, bathrobe flapping behind her. When she got closer she could see that it was Regulus, still in t-shirt and boxers with untied trainers shoved on his feet. She tried to run around in front of him, but she was unused to the speed and soon her lungs gave out. She had to content herself with walking some feet behind him; he always managed to stay just out of reach.

Was he sleepwalking? Jeffrey used to do that, and the best thing to do with him was to just follow him around until he came to his senses…huh. She hadn't thought about Jeffrey in years. Strange.

Regulus kept walking in his trance, taking them down familiar roads that soon turned into unfamiliar ones. He led them off road and onto dirt tracks that wove in and out of copses of spindly trees with twisted branches. Samantha was getting tired. Her feet hurt like anything, and her lungs weren't too happy with her either. "What the hell is going on?" she grumbled, wrapping the tie to her bathrobe around her hands-a nervous twitch, she supposed. She felt well within her rights to be nervous.

Slowly, the land around them began to change. The glaring streetlights of the city had faded and the clouds became wispy and thin, leaving everything highlighted by the half-moon. Samantha glanced at the scenery in wonder. There were trees that didn't look as dead as the others she'd seen around here (they actually had some small leaves! It'd been years since she'd seen a leaf that wasn't a brown crumbly mess), and fresh grass was growing beneath her feet. She reached out a hand and touched her fingertips to a tree trunk, the roughness of the bark a welcome feeling. Then, out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Regulus. "Oh, shit."

It wasn't something that was talked about often, but if Regulus was distracted (and it was safe to assume that when sleepwalking he wasn't paying the greatest attention to what was in front of him) he had a tendency to walk into things. Walls, garbage bins, lampposts, he had crashed into them all. Now he was headed straight for a…stone wall? Samantha looked up quickly, seeing a fairly massive but crumbling stone wall stretching up into the night sky. Okay, screw the idea that she wasn't supposed to wake a sleepwalker; it was time to prevent a concussion.

She started to run, trying to reach Regulus before he reached the wall (she really didn't want to see the blood if he did crash into it. Ever since the…incident, she was squeamish around blood). The trainers definitely made it easier to catch up to him, but by the time she was within an arm's length of Regulus her chest was burning. Her brain was working rapid speed, trying to figure out how to stop the inevitable impact. There wasn't much time though, so Samantha reached out, grabbed at the back of Regulus's t-shirt, and pulled.

Samantha tipped backwards, eyes wide as she crashed into the ground. A second later Regulus landed on top of her, knocking what little breath was left in her totally out. "Ow," she whimpered, too drained to even bother with shoving Regulus off of her.

Regulus groaned, and she could feel the vibrations through her bathrobe. He began to shift around, trying to sit up and accidentally sending an elbow into her gut. "Ow," she repeated, nudging him with her leg. That seemed to rouse him out of his stupor and he sat up, scrubbing his hands over his face as if to wipe the sleep from it. Samantha pushed herself up and tiredly rested her head on his shoulder.

"Um, Samantha?"

"Yeah?"

"Where the hell are we?"

She shrugged. "Dunno. You were sleepwalking; I just followed you until you nearly walked into a wall. Had to wake you up then." She yawned widely, the exertion catching up to her.

Regulus finally looked around, feeling the same awe that Samantha had earlier. This place, unlike the rest of the wasteland, was alive. There was a pulse to it, something you could feel in your blood and tell that it was living and breathing and growing… "Come on," he said, getting to his feet and hauling Samantha to hers. "Let's explore a little."

"I think I really would rather just sleep right now, Reg."

He grinned at her, tugging her along by her hand. "Where's your sense of adventure?"

"I think it fled after you elbowed me in the gut." Regulus just smiled even wider and kept moving. They walked along the wall, discovering that it was the side of a large building and not just a simple garden fence. Every so often there were bricks removed, looking like windows to the inside, but it was impossible to see beyond the blackness. Samantha peered into one.

"You know, I'll be able to see you a lot better if you come around to the inside," a voice suddenly called out, making Samantha yelp and jump back a step. Regulus whipped around, coming fast to her side. "Oh, don't be such a baby," the voice (strong and female, he noted, with an odd, unplaceable accent) said. "Head towards your left and walk around the wall. I'll guide you from there."

They shared a look and shrugged. At this point, what was there to lose? Still grasping hands, the moved down the wall and turned the corner, getting their first good look at what the structure was. "A church?" Samantha asked.

Regulus nodded. Even though the front wall was gone, as was half of the back, the long lines of the other two walls clearly spoke of an old nave, with crumbling arches and pillars. The windows had cracked and fallen out ages ago, and all that was left of the altar was a slightly raised platform a distance away from them. "Yeah, I'd say so. It looks like something I saw once back in England, at a place called Glastonbury. Magnificent old ruin there."

"Oi! You two, over here!" They turned to see little alcoves set in the wall from the inside, walled off with very modern looking bars. Inside one of them a lamp shone, revealing what appeared to be quite a comfortable living space. There was a bed, comfy chairs, books, television, stove and fridge, all of the comforts of home, really. Sitting on a massive beanbag chair that was pulled up close to the bars was the woman, waving at them. When they were a little closer they got a better look at the woman. She was short, with a slightly rounded figure - motherly was the first word that came to mind. Her wavy dark hair was pulled up into a high ponytail, with tendrils falling around her olive-skinned face. She appeared to be in her late thirties, but there was something extremely old about her. She wore a pair of green capri style sweatpants with a fluorescent yellow top that combined to make an eye-searingly bright look. She seemed to be in the middle of painting her toenails, a bright red color that reminded Samantha of candy apples at Halloween. Capping her polish, she looked up at them and smiled. "Good, I'm glad you two have made it."

"Excuse me for being blunt, but who are you?" Regulus asked, releasing Samantha's hand to cross his arms over his chest. Samantha thought he looked more like a little kid trying to be tough instead of the intimidating male look she knew he was aiming for.

The woman just kept smiling at them. "You can call me the Anchoress. Anchored to this little hole in the wall, at least for a while until my spirit is refreshed. And who are you two? Introductions, please." She sat back on her beanbag, lounging gracefully.

"Um, Samantha Mulder, ma'am."

"Regulus Black."

"Well, Samantha and Regulus, lovely to meet you." The Anchoress shifted in her seat, sending the beanbag, as beanbags are wont to do, caving in on one side and nearly unseating her. With a wriggle and a few small kicks, she settled back in, this time sitting straight up to look them in the eyes. "Let me tell you a little bit about myself. I am not a seer-I cannot see the future or tell you exactly who is going to win the World Cup next time or something along those lines. What I can do is give advice. It's up to you whether you want to take it or not, but let me say that I have been around a lot longer than anyone else, and my insights are pretty damn sharp, so it'd behoove you to listen to them."

Regulus arched an eyebrow. "Prove it," he said, making Samantha wince and cover her eyes. There was something about the Anchoress, at least to her, that inspired trust and made her feel comfortable. Maybe it was different for a man…

The Anchoress waggled her own eyebrows back. "You want to find your father. And not the man you called father as a boy, but the biological one who your mother shagged a couple of times."

"Okay, she's good," Regulus admitted.

"You're darn right I'm good. I've been at it six thousand years, should've learned something by now." She picked up the bottle of nail varnish again and twirled it between her fingers. "Color's called 'Big Apple Red'—funny, no?" Her head snapped up suddenly, and she stared sharply at Regulus. She looked at and through him for so long he started to fidget, staring around at everything in the ruins with the exception of the Anchoress herself. Then, she did something that surprised them.

She laughed.

She laughed and howled so hard she slumped back into the beanbag, wrapping her arms around her stomach. Her eyes closed and they could see a few small tears leak out of them. A tad worried, Samantha moved closer, going right up to the bars. She needn't have, however, as the Anchoress was fine, and soon managed to upright herself again. She brushed away the traces of the tears and attempted to sober up a bit. "Oh my," she chuckled. "That's what the warning was about. I knew someone was going to come but I never expected this!"

Regulus walked up next to Samantha, and the two traded a worried look. "Ma'am, are you all right?" he asked softly.

The Anchoress giggled and nodded. "I'm fine, lad. Actually, I think I have more of an answer for you about your father. I can give you a name, and a location."

"Uh, we have a name already. The demon down in the city, Monty, got it for us. If you could help us read it however, that would be great. I could bring the paper back here for you."

She shook her head. "That's not what I'm talking about, Regulus. The name I know is the name that this demon, your father, goes by usually. I think it'd be safe to say that he considers it his real name, and that squiggle that you have in your possession is a name that someone else gave him." The Anchoress leaned over and grabbed a pen and paper, scribbling quickly. "His name is Anthony J. Crowley, and you'll be able to find him in England. I don't know where in England though; it's been a few years since I've seen him." She shoved the scrap of paper through the bars, watching as Samantha took it and placed it carefully into the pocket of her robe.

"So you know this Anthony Crowley?" Regulus asked.

"Oh yes. We're old…friends, you could say. Acquaintances, more like. Haven't always been on the friendliest of terms, but when you've been around as long as we have you get to know each other." She tapped the pen against her lips. "You know, now that I see you, you do favour him looks-wise. You've got the same cheekbones."

"Thanks. I think. So he's been around on Earth a while too?"

"To put it mildly. You're dealing with the original snake in the garden, lad."

Regulus's brow wrinkled. "What does that mean?"

The Anchoress sighed, dropped her head to her palms, and shook her head. "What are they teaching you wizards these days?"

He glanced over at Samantha, who shook her head also. It didn't make much sense to her, but there was something familiar about it. She was reminded of an old, old story, something from even before her abduction, just out of reach and eluding her grasp.

"Well if you don't know I'm not going to tell you. You're just going to have to figure it out on your own," the Anchoress said. "And now, for you Samantha." She turned to Samantha, nibbling on the end of the pen again. "I can see it in your eyes. What you want, more than anything else right now, is to go home."

Samantha pursed her lips, trying not to let her emotions get the best of her. "Really?" she asked, trying to keep the slight waver out of her voice.

The Anchoress nodded. "Regulus? Would you mind taking a wander over that way for a few? We've got to have some girl talk." She waved off in the direction of the altar. "Please?"

He hesitated, but then Samantha turned to him. "I'll be fine, don't worry." He quirked his lips a little, telling them both that he was going to worry no matter what, but he did trust her.

"All right. Let me know when you need me back."

The two women watched as Regulus walked off. "Come close, love," The Anchoress said, "right up to the bars." Samantha approached, and the woman cupped her face with a soft hand. "For almost my entire existence, I've been someone's mother. I've seen my kids through their tragedies, their pains, and their joys. So I end up looking at everyone as my children. I tell you this as a mother, with the deepest care in my heart.

"Samantha, when you get back to Earth, back home, something is telling me that you're expecting everything to be exactly the same. You think your parents will be together and just as young as you remember them, and that they'll welcome you back with a big smile and wide open arms. In your head, you think that the world has stayed still since you last left it."

She shook her head, feeling The Anchoress' palm warm against her cheek. "No, I know that time has passed."

"Temporally, yes, but your heart believes that the people won't have moved. Love, it will not be like you remember. It most likely will not be pleasant, but painful, and there will be times when you wish you hadn't gone back because at least here you can hold onto the dream that everything is all right." A few stray tears dripped down Samantha's face and she scrubbed at them, the truth of the matter hitting her like a brick to the head. These were fears she had never voiced, not even in the dark of night in her head only, but they were there and finally getting dragged out. And she did not like it.

The Anchoress reached up and gently wiped away a few more tears. "I know it's hard to hear, but I don't want you to go into this blind. What you have to do now, is decide if you are strong enough to handle it. Can you accept that the home you remember doesn't exist anymore?"

She took in a shuddering breath, gathering up the frayed edges of courage she could find inside. "I-I think so. I hate it here. It's so cold and sterile, and it's not a life. If I'm not really dead, I want to live, even if it's not what I had before." The older woman smiled widely, a smile like the sun breaking over the trees.

"Good. Because I can also tell you this - by going back and accepting the changes, you could find yourself in a brave new world that's even better than the one you knew before."

"Better's good," Samantha grinned through the last remnants of the tears. "A good thing to hope for."

"Hold onto that hope, love. It'll make all the difference. Now dry your eyes, and let's call your boy back."

* * *

Like a good little boy, Regulus headed towards the altar, trainers squeaking on the gravelly ground. The air there was surprisingly warm, blowing in through a large circle where no doubt a magnificent rose window once was. That smell was in the air again also, of salt and water and a hint of decaying fish. "Weird," he muttered, leaping up onto the platform.

He walked around it, counting the paces. Ten steps wide, then three deep. A small altar, really, but whoever stood up here once upon a time had the power to command the multitudes. A strange thing to think about such an apathetic place, but there you have it. Regulus spun and looked down the two walls of the nave, past the chapels set into the walls and the decrepit columns into the trees beyond. He could see Samantha and the Anchoress talking on one side, and was she crying? That just wouldn't do. Before he could jump off and rush over, however, another blast of wind smacked against his back, blowing his hair in front of his face and obstructing his vision.

Behind him, something crackled. Then a sharp tinkle, followed by an almost sucking sound. He whirled around, brushing the hair out of his eyes. What he saw… The best thing he could compare it to was a puzzle rebuilding itself. Pieces of stained glass the size of sand that gleamed like confetti materialized in mid-air and zoomed back into the rose window. The small panes slotted in one next to each other, gradually building up a picture.

Even though the circle was only half full with glass, the scene it was describing was getting clearer with every passing second. The very bottom of the window was filled with stylized blue waves that seemed to undulate with each new piece of the picture added on. Floating on the waves was a boat that resembled an old Viking longboat, curved on the ends with one large sail sticking up out of the centre. The boat plunged down a valley, sending up a spray of crystalline water that flew out and splashed Reg sharp and cold in the face—

"Reg!"

He spun around again to see the two women staring at him, Samantha with a slightly dubious look. He subtly tried to wipe his face, only to find that it was bone dry. Quickly, he glanced back over his shoulder and saw that the stained glass was gone again, leaving just an empty portal with a breeze blowing through it. While he would have liked to stop and think just how impossible that was, the women were demanding his presence, and so he leapt off the altar and ran back over.

* * *

The Anchoress sat back on her beanbag with one of those sort of smiles on her face. It made Samantha just a tad worried, but she knew that, when it came down to it, the older woman had their best interests at heart. "So, you want to know how to get back to Earth," she said.

"Yes, please," Regulus blurted out, while Samantha hid a snicker behind her hand. The image of Regulus as an over-eager twelve year old suddenly danced through her brain.

"Always a good start. Tell me, do either of you know where the water's edge is here?"

Samantha paused for a moment, quite puzzled, until Regulus broke in again. "Yes. I can get us there if we need to." She shot him a look at that one, but he shook his head, giving a look that strongly implied he would explain later. If he didn't, she'd definitely let him know about it.

"Good, saves me a great deal of explanations. So once you hit the water, go east children, and swim into the rising sun. Actually…" The Anchoress got up off the beanbag and headed over to a shadowed corner of the cell, rummaging around for something.

"I don't know how to swim," Regulus muttered.

"I'll teach you, don't worry," Samantha muttered back.

"Ah HA! Here we go." She rushed back over to them and tossed something that was a lurid orange shade through the bars. Samantha fumbled the catch, almost dropping the thing on the ground. Once she righted it, bold words jumped out from the cover. "Boating for Dummies," she read, looking up and arching an eyebrow at the Anchoress.

"It'll come in handy, trust me. You're going to have to guide the way back, so read up."

"Wait—guide?" The word struck a chord in her, an echo of a dream coming back with the force of an oncoming storm. The Anchoress just winked at her, giving no answers and leaving her even more confused.

"And Regulus, a little something for you as well. Two things, actually. First, right before you leave here, something that you didn't expect to see will pop up. Grab it by the hand and run with it, you hear me?"

"That's rather vague," he said, reaching out for Samantha and taking hold of her hand once more. His palm was warm against hers, and she gripped it gratefully.

The Anchoress shrugged. "That's all I'm getting. There's no focus button, I can't clear things up. Sometimes it's better that way though; you get lots of nice surprises along the way."

"Surprises with tentacles and poison venom, no doubt," he muttered under his breath, wincing when Samantha kicked him in the shin.

"Second," the Anchoress said, raising two fingers, "beware of temptation. You know what I'm talking about." Samantha shot Regulus another look, which he pointedly ignored. "The offer may be wrapped in a pretty package, all dressed up as if everything you ever wanted is contained within. So you need to make sure of what you really want, what really makes you happy, and don't settle for less."

Regulus nodded, squeezing Samantha's hand. "Message received."

"Thank you. For everything," Samantha said, leaning into Regulus's side. Exhaustion was beginning to catch up with her, but there was no way in hell she was going to fade out now.

"You are quite welcome, love," The Anchoress replied, settling back down in her beanbag and getting comfortable. She reached for the television remote, lying on a stack of books nearby. "Now fare thee well, and best of luck in all your adventures."

Regulus tugged on her hand and they began to walk, a soft breeze wrapping tendrils around them as they made their way back through the nave. But there was something niggling at the base of her brain, something that wouldn't let go, and something that, if she didn't confront it, would have her kicking herself with regret after. "Wait," she said, coming to a halt.

"What is it?"

Samantha simply turned back, staring at the small cell where the Anchoress was flipping through channels on her television. "Anchoress!" she called out, making the older woman turn back with a questioning look on her face. "I know who you are," Samantha said, using a lot of willpower to keep her voice strong rather than shaky, which was how her body was feeling at the moment. "I know. And that means you're human, mortal, just like me. Why are you still alive?"

The Anchoress smiled brightly, and cocked her head a bit. "Why are you alive?" she fired back. Her eyes drifted skywards, looking up at a sky that was just starting to change, lighter streaks of dawn breaking through the dark. "Because the man up there that's calling the major shots wants me to be. And until He decides differently, alive we shall be." She smiled again at the two, waving. "Be off you two! There's a whole wide world out there you need to see." With that, she snapped her fingers three times, and the tendrils of breeze turned into a gale force wind.

Samantha yelped and clutched at Regulus, who hastily wrapped his arms tightly around her waist and held on. She shut her eyes tight and buried her head in his shoulder as the wind picked up even stronger, pulling them every which way. Mere seconds passed before a jolt went through her body and the wind stopped, as if someone had flicked a switch.

"Oh, not again," Regulus groaned, prompting Samantha to pry her eyes open…and see that they were in the street right in front of their building. "I hate it when that happens," he sighed. "You all right?" he asked her.

"Yeah, think so," she said, rubbing her head as she stared gape-mouthed at the building. She didn't even want to know right now how they had gotten back. It'd just make her headache worse. Finally, her eyes dropped back to Regulus's concerned face. "Bedtime?" she asked, feeling quite exhausted.

"Bedtime," he agreed.


	10. Chapter 9: Unintended Plans

Finally presenting Chapter Nine! My apologies for the delay; real life reared its ugly head and sent the Ravenhill family into crisis mode for a little while. Luckily things seemed to have worked out to a happy ending, and finally I feel a bit back to normal (and have my writing spirit back – it disappeared for a while there). I had to do some more edits than normal to this chapter, which is another reason it took a while. But we're winding down in the story now. There's still a few chapters left, and some major developments to come, but we're reaching the home stretch here.

Before we get to the story, please indulge my author's notes. First, I'd like to thank everyone who's left a review to this story. I know I'm really not the greatest at responding to feedback (Peanut gallery: "Understatement!"), but please be assured that I appreciate and cherish every single word. So here I'd like to say thanks to all the reviewers: Nemainofthewater, Spacehead3, Lamia/so_kiss_me_goodbye, surxi25, paradancer, BeshterAngelus, sacredpools, Lyo, Mel, and the anonymous commenter. Thank you for sticking with me. :)

Second, to answer a couple of questions that have popped up in the reviews – this is NOT an unfinished fic. I'm still in the process of editing, and I'm not the fastest updater in the world, but the story is written to the point where I feel more than comfortable putting the 'complete' label on it. :)

Lyo, to answer your question if we're going to see more people from HP or XF – who says we haven't seen them already? Stick around for chapter ten and it'll become clearer. As for the Anchoress, she's kinda sorta in 'Good Omens', but not really. Let's call her a public domain character that I put my own twist on. For more details, see part two of the prequel story, 'The Consequences of Bloody Manchester'.

Okay, on with the show. Just a slight word of warning, this chapter may get a little more romantic than the rest. Let me know if I should change the tag to romance, 'kay?

* * *

Chapter Nine: Unintended Plans

Regulus sat in the bed, watching Samantha sleep soundly next to him. They'd received one more piece of the puzzle, and the picture was almost complete. Now, thanks to stubbornness and an almost perverse will to live they had a road map and a potential vehicle with which to get back to Earth. The only problem now was that Regulus wasn't quite sure he wanted to go.

Samantha's memories of her childhood back home differed greatly from his. She spoke of a time when she had felt loved and cared for, and even though things were bad at the end, the hope that someone would be there to welcome her back never seemed to die. Regulus wasn't sure what was back on Earth for him. Yes, there was that mysterious father figure lurking out there, but was finding an answer as to why his eyes went funny sometimes a good reason to make the hard journey back? If he found any of his old 'friends' they'd probably kill him again for turning traitor, and the Black family wasn't exactly known for their depth of kind emotions toward their kin…or their sanity, really. And if his biological father was a real demon, that didn't exactly bode well either. A rock and a hard place, truly.

There was the chance for even more power here, offered by the well-dressed demon. Slytherins gravitated to power like nifflers to gold, and the thought of being able to make a whole world exactly as he'd wanted could satisfy one of those yawning holes inside him. But he promised himself that he'd think long and hard over the Anchoress's warnings. He may be ambitious, but he wasn't stupid. And that dapper man always made him feel like something was crawling inside his stomach. Would he be able to live with his afterlife if he made that deal?

Samantha shifted a little, sighing deeply. She curled into his leg, a hand falling on his bare knee. A little smile spread across his face. Maybe that was why going back wasn't such a bad idea. If they both went, at least they would be in the whole thing together. Even if he had that power to remake the wasteland as he wanted no amount of magic would be able to make Samantha want to stay in the City. And Regulus certainly didn't like the idea of Samantha being on her own out there. They were always stronger together.

He reached down and moved some hair off of her face. Her eyes flew open, rolling for a moment until they focused on Regulus. His smile just grew wider as he kept brushing back her hair. "What is it?" she mumbled, pushing herself upright.

"Let's go to the water," Regulus said.

Samantha bit her lip, but he could clearly see the anticipation and hope in her eyes. She never was good at hiding her emotions. "All right," she replied. "Let's do it. But can I get some coffee first?"

"Get dressed and I'll do up a pot."

* * *

"Okay," Regulus said, staring down the road framed by the dull skyscrapers. This was the way. Any lingering doubts had faded fast. He held his hand out behind him and Samantha grasped it tightly, trusting him to guide them.

Slowly, steadily they walked down the street, ignoring the slightly odd looks they got from the occasional beings they passed. Soon enough Regulus spotted the sights from his last trip that way; the buildings morphing into the rundown shacks with their swinging doors. Samantha kicked at some stray pebbles in the street, watching them as they skittered into the cracks. With her free hand she pulled her coat tighter around her (Reg had warned her that the weather was a little more…lively out this way) and turned her nose into the wind. "I've missed that smell," she sighed happily.

"The smell of dead fish you mean? Ow!"

"That's what happens when you make fun of me, you stub your toe." She stuck her tongue out at him. "I meant the smell of the sea, you dork. I remember I grew up by the ocean, on a small island actually. And then for summer we had a house by the beach too. Feels like home again."

"This city boy died on the beach. First time in my life I had ever been to water like that, and I knew as soon as I set foot on those rocks that I was going to die there." Regulus slowed down a bit as he spoke, his fingers trailing along the peeling paint of a railing.

"I'm sorry," Samantha said, stopping and wrapping herself around his arm.

Regulus shrugged and smiled suddenly and brightly, as if someone flipped a switch and made the sun come out. "It's all in the past." He took her hands in his and tugged. "Come on, it's this way!" Samantha just giggled and followed, feeling inexplicably giddy.

When the sea came into view she gasped. The waves were soft and grey, lapping languidly along the shoreline. On the horizon a few storm clouds gathered and waited, twisting around each other in a roiling mass. "It's beautiful," she sighed, feeling Regulus come up behind her.

"Dangerous, but beautiful." He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her close, feeling her pressed against him. "In order to get back, I think we've got to go over that, through the storm, and past the horizon."

"Do you think we'll be able to?" Samantha leant her head back against his shoulder. "It looks like it's going to be awfully difficult to get there."

"No one said it was going to be easy," Regulus whispered, rubbing his face gently against her to try and relieve some of the tension that was suddenly racing through her body. "But has that ever stopped us before?"

Samantha quirked her lips, the ghost of a grin. "Nope. So we're going home, aren't we?"

"We're going home."

This time, she kissed him, moving her head just a fraction to the left and pressing her lips to his. Regulus tightened his arms, not wanting to let go. It was all soft and warm, and so alive. It had been far too long since he had experienced something like this, made all the better because it was her. And really, it was about damn time.

"Um, Reg?" she mumbled against his lips, twisting in his arms to fully face him.

"Huh?"

"How are we going to get over the water?" she asked, not letting go of him.

He shook his head briefly, but then got a bit of a demonic (but strangely enough, not in a bad way) look in his eyes. He freed up a hand and dug his wand out from where it had been shoved in his belt. "Before you woke up this morning, I was taking a look at the book the Anchoress gave us. One bit describes all the parts of a boat and how it all fits together." He flicked the wand at a piece of driftwood, transfiguring it into the rather rough approximation of the hull of a ship.

"Huh," Samantha said, clearly impressed (or maybe a little kiss dazed. The verdict was still out).

"It'll take us some time, but I figure between the two of us, we can have a cracking boat by the end of it."

"That is the best idea I've heard in a very long time."

The breeze kicked up again, sending sea spray soaking into their trousers. "Okay, unless we want to get stuck in another weird apparition thing, we need to leave now," Regulus said, taking a few quick steps back and bringing Samantha with him.

"Whaaa?"

* * *

There seemed to be something different in the air of the flat that night. It was something shimmery and effervescent, like Samantha had decided to go swimming in a pool full of champagne. She wasn't all that experienced with champagne, but her imagination had a fun time filling in the blanks. There was determination as well, Samantha thought, stealing a quick glance at Reg sitting on the other side of the couch. Now, she continued thinking, just maybe I can have it all. I can go home, and I can have Reg by my side as well. Not that he wasn't going to go with her, but it felt like what had happened on the beach was a true promise of things to come.

And then she felt like she was eight years old again. This whole relationship thing was such a new concept to her. Being abducted by the walk-ins at the age of fourteen left little time for learning how to handle the intricacies of the dating scene. Were they even really dating? They'd already known each other for what was probably decades, and dating seemed like something that high school kids on those stupid TV shows that the Wasteland always seemed to feature on the idiot box. Because frankly, she didn't have a clue where to go next. The box may have been enlightening on so many things, including some odd sexual practices she wouldn't even dare to try, but realism wasn't its strongest feature.

Oh, maybe honesty would just be the easiest option. She could do honesty.

"Reg?"

He looked up from the 'Boating for Dummies' guide. "Yeah?"

"Okay, this is gonna sound really weird." Samantha trailed off and stalled, seeming to have a bit of trouble with the words.

Regulus chucked the book onto the coffee table, then stretched forward to take her hand, grinning all the while. "What is it?"

Deep breath, Sammie girl, you can do this. "Can I…can I kiss you again?"

His grin softened and became even more affectionate, if that was even possible. "I'd like that," he said, leaning back into the corner of the couch and pulling her forward at the same time.

Samantha crawled over until their knees were practically touching. From this angle she was just slightly taller than he was. There was a strange sense of power right then, she thought, and realized that she felt more alive than she could ever remember being.

The first touch was soft and delicate, lips just barely brushing against each other. Samantha could feel one of Regulus' hands begin to creep into her hair, and his other arms was making its way around her waist. 'Okay, should do something with my hands,' she thought, eventually settling them on the back of his neck. She gasped a shaky, shuddering breath when she felt Regulus' tongue briefly glide across her lower lip. That had to have been a good sign.

Then, he pulled away. "What?" Samantha asked, opening her eyes blearily.

Regulus smiled up at her, and ran his hand through her long hair again. "Sam, love," he said, "stop over-thinking it."

"Okay…"

"Just feel," he whispered, pulling her down once more.

* * *

Within a month, they packed up the flat and moved into the ruins of the old church, feeling it would be a far better spot to try and craft a boat in. Both felt a few pangs of emotion due to leaving behind the place they had dwelled in for so long, but they were pushed aside with thoughts of moving onto someplace safer, and something better.

* * *

Over time, a boat began to form from the bits of detritus they'd collected. The hull was sturdy golden wood, and large enough to fit several small but comfortable rooms inside. Regulus's project for the day was creating those inner walls, while Samantha attempted to catalogue supplies.

"I managed to get a bunch of canned soups," she said, dumping them in one of the side chapels they had declared their storeroom. "I'll have to make a few more trips back though. D' you think there's a chance we could maybe get chickens or a goat for the trip?" Regulus just grunted in reply, too preoccupied by the plank that had just fallen on his thumb.

Samantha wandered over to what had been the Anchoress's room. By the time they had returned to the ruins the Anchoress had vanished, leaving behind a note telling them to avail themselves of the entertainment and supplies there. Samantha ventured in through the door that had suddenly appeared in the bars, picked her way over to the music collection, and pulled the beanbag over. She flipped through the myriad jewel cases, searching through them.

"Whatcha doing?" Regulus asked as he walked in and slumped over ungracefully on the beanbag.

She shoved him, wrinkling her nose. "Ooh, you reek! Go take a shower, will you?"

"Evanesco."

"That doesn't count!"

"Oi, yes it does!"

"You've still got a bit of that eau de sweat about you, so no, it doesn't count."

"Fussy."

"You love it."

Regulus wrapped an arm around her shoulders, pulling her close and ignoring the smirk on her face. "So what are you looking for?"

"That album I told you about a while ago. Didn't think I'd get my hands on some real music so soon, but there you have it." Samantha shuffled through some more cases then tossed them onto the rapidly growing stack on the floor.

"I thought you said you didn't remember the name of it."

"True, but even with the holes in my memory it's really hard to forget a cover involving four men pissing on a concrete block." She sighed heavily and tossed some more down. "Doesn't look like she had a copy of it."

"It's all right." He pecked her quickly on the cheek. "We can find it when we get back home."

"I hope so."

Regulus looked down at Samantha, who had given up the hunt and was flipping on the stereo to whatever radio station would come through the static. "So I was looking through that book again, and they had something called a powerboat in there…" he mentioned casually.

Samantha quirked an eyebrow in his direction. "Why does the thought of you with a super-powered boat engine make me slightly nervous?" She shrugged. "Still, I'd bet we'd have better luck getting across an ocean with a motor than just sails. I think you'll have to change the design a bit though."

Regulus twirled his wand around his fingertips. "Leave that to me. You know, you'd be surprised at what's in there."

"Considering who gave us that book, I don't think I would be."

They lay there for a few minutes, drifting in a haze of exhaustion and music. Even with the proper spells, building a ship was an arduous task. There was a low noise, so far in the distance that Regulus could barely hear the sound over the blaring radio. But still, he sat up and turned his gaze outside. "I could have sworn I just heard thunder," he said.

Samantha leaned her head back, squishing the beanbag in enough so that she could see outside the cell without moving too far. "Are you sure? It could have just been static." The radio kept wavering between bursts of eerie, old-fashioned music and staticky electric noises that were unsettling at the best of times.

He shook his head and got to his feet, going to the doorway. With a wave of his wand the radio shut off, leaving them in silence. "No, that was definitely thunder. And the wind's picking up too." Regulus brushed some suddenly ruffled hair out of his face. Something was coming, and faster than they had anticipated. "You know, we've still got a few hours of light left. I think I'm going to try and make some headway on that engine."

"Good idea," Samantha agreed. She went back to the stocked up goods and began to pack them away in boxes for the trip.

* * *

So, thoughts, comments, questions? Let me know!

Thanks for reading!


	11. Chapter 10: Unintended Connections

Presenting chapter ten! Only two more chapters to go after this…yikes, scary thought. I've literally been working on this story for nearly six years, it's very odd to be winding it down.

My thanks to the anonymous Me (your ramblings were awesome, never fear!) and Lyo for their feedback! I know you guys both had some questions, and hopefully this little statement will give you both something to think about (because I don't want to spoil my own story): Including this one, there are three chapters left to this story. In each chapter, at least one character from the four main fandoms worked into this story (HP, X-Files, Good Omens, and Ashes to Ashes) will pop up, although one is not as obvious and is really just a brief blurb in a story someone else is telling. As the story is fully completed, and I don't have much changes left to make at this point, with any luck I'll be able to get the whole thing posted within a few weeks. Any other questions, let me know and I'll either shoot you a PM back or respond like this again.

And now onto chapter ten, alternately titled 'Sequel Hook.'

* * *

Chapter Ten: Unintended Connections

_"You lied to me," Samantha said the next time she encountered the boy sitting on the log on the beach. She walked up to him, her arms crossed over her chest and tried to look as intimidating as possible._

_ The boy looked surprised. "How did I lie?" he asked._

_ Samantha hoisted herself on the log next to him. "You told me I was going to have to guide you. But a very trusted source recently told me that I was going to have to be the one to guide myself and Regulus back to Earth. Or at least drive the boat because Reg isn't exactly Mr. Technology. And I'm inclined to believe her more than you right now."_

_ Now, the boy looked rather contrite. "My story sounded much more dramatic, you'll have to give it that."_

_ "So now even my hallucinations are lying to me." Samantha huffed, and kicked some sand into the air. So much for achieving some clarity from this latest vision._

_ The boy raised his hands. "Okay, back up a sec. I didn't lie to you about being a guide. I figured that since you were an island girl you'd be able to figure out the sailing part easily so I wouldn't have to say anything."_

_ "I grew up on an island that has one of the highest incidences of alcoholism in the entire United States. Also, I haven't lived there since I was eight. And now Regulus has decided to upgrade to a motorboat. If you think I can pilot that my best advice to you would be to pray." Samantha stared out over the ocean again, leaning slightly forward to catch the spray in her face._

_ The boy shrugged. "That ocean where you are isn't quite normal. I get the feeling you'll do better than you think you will when the time comes." He slipped off the log and walked closer to the shoreline, getting close enough that his trainers just touched the incoming waves. "And I didn't lie about needing you to guide me. I get the feeling I'm going to need as much help as I can when that comes to pass."_

_ Samantha squinted at his back. "But you're still leaving out some information," she concluded._

_ He turned back, blue eyes shining in the watery sunlight. "I'm a bit younger than I look, you know. I'm smart, so I can sound mature if I need to, but really, I'm not even ten years old yet. Well, maybe in the real world. I've been stuck in here for a while, feels like years, so I'm not really sure how old I am anymore. It's easier to grow up here if you have to."_

_ "Really smart," Samantha said. "There's no way I would have guessed that if you hadn't told me." That was a truth – the boy came off so mature he was almost ancient, so to learn that he was still a child? These dreams were making less and less sense lately._

_ "I'm good," he grinned. "Now, we've already proven that I really do exist…" the grin faded to a wry and almost embarrassed expression. "Then there's the matter of the small accident I got into."_

_ "Accident?" Samantha felt the bottom fall out of her stomach; she swallowed nervously. The sound of that could not bode well for this situation._

_ "Yeah," he drawled, stretching the word out into two syllables. "Well, sort of. Did you know the world was supposed to end in 2012? Because of aliens, no less?"_

_ "No. But I can't say I'm surprised," Sam said. The bits and pieces of her past that managed to fight their way through the fog in her brain told her that something bad was inevitably going to happen in Earth's future, and that she may have been even been involved in it somehow. At least, as much as any pre-teen could have been. That was all in the past now, though._

_ The boy's grin came back, wider and brighter than before. "Well, by some miracle, I managed to stop it. I did have some help, of course, from a man with more power than I could ever dream of – and who loves his earthly home more than anyone else on that little planet. Between the two of us? The aliens didn't stand a chance._

_ "It wasn't as hard as I thought it would be, strangely enough. Really, just kind of closed my eyes and saw what needed to be done and the two of us were able to make it happen. But, as always, there was a bit of a trade-off."_

_ "That doesn't sound good."_

"_Understatement. Next thing I know I'm waking up in 1981, twenty years before I was even born. Now the question I have to answer is if I'm mad, in a coma, or back in time."_

_ Samantha blinked. "Whaaa—wait, what?" She shook her head, trying to wrap her brain around that statement. "Okay, I think you just broke my brain with that one there. I can handle aliens but time travel is pushing it." _

_ "Don't worry, it'll make sense later." The boy reassured her with a smile. "And really, I'm not the first person that's happened to but that's neither here nor there right now."_

_ "You say that a lot," she said, ignoring the last part of his statement. Samantha pushed herself off the log and marched right up to his face. "Okay. Just answer me this. How? I can make a good guess as to the why of things after your explanation, but if you really do exist somewhere, how are you physically able to sneak into my head when I'm asleep and talk to me?" _

_ "I'm not sure." The boy pushed his hands into his pockets and seemed to shrink into himself. For the briefest of moments Samantha could see the real boy inside the imaginary and cocky shell, one who was scared and overwhelmed and just as lost as she was right now. "I have a theory, if you want to hear it."_

_ Samantha wrapped an arm around his shoulders and led him back to the log. "What's your theory?" she asked._

_ "We're both in sort of in between places right now, not quite one thing or the other, right?" She nodded. "I think that in this place the rules don't apply the same way as normal, so if I want to be able to reach out and contact you with a dream…" he trailed off, staring out to sea again._

_ "Then there's nothing to stop you," Samantha concluded. "Dare I ask why you picked me to contact?" The boy pulled his eyes from the water and gave her a look, complete with arched eyebrow. "All right, I know, you can't tell me yet."_

_ "Let's just say that you and I are closer than you know." The boy sighed and slid off of the log again. "Unfortunately, I think it's time for me to go."_

_ "I won't see you again, will I?" Samantha asked, voicing the sudden sinking feeling inside her._

_ The boy shook his head, but then paused. "Not like this, I don't think. Not in this place. But it's not over, not by a long shot. I'll see you around," he grinned, then turned to walk down the beach away from her._

_ "Hey, wait a sec!"_

_ He turned back. Samantha crossed her arms over her chest again, and smirked at him. It was better to be brave and confident, and not let the nerves show. "If I'm going to see you again, I need to know what to call you. I didn't think to ask before now, but since it's my last chance…"_

_ The boy smiled. "My name's William. No matter where we meet, that's not going to change."_

_ "That's a good name," Samantha nodded. "I think it was my dad's name."_

_ "I know."_

Samantha blinked a few times, seeing the rough stone of the cell above her head. She stretched out on the bed that had been enlarged to fit the two of them, letting the sheets glide along her bare legs. Through the bars, she could just make out that the sky was lightening over the ruins. She turned, looking for Regulus, and then frowning when she noticed that he wasn't there. The clatter of tools outside, however, gave her a pretty good idea where he'd gone.

She tugged down her nightgown as she walked across the grass. The boat loomed before her; a sleek and golden creation that looked like it would be able to slice through the water like a bright sword. Regulus's tousled head popped out of the steering cabin. "Morning," he called out.

"Barely morning," Samantha fired back, rubbing some sleep out of her eyes. A damp breeze blew through the ruins, making her shiver and rub some warmth into her arms. These sudden winds were making her nervous; in the years they'd been there the weather had been constantly consistent in the City: grey and still with only the pale sunlight that didn't do anything for warmth. But lately things had changed; there was the thunder in the distance, the winds were blowing around stronger than they had before, and she could have sworn once she'd felt raindrops. A storm was coming, as someone had said, and things did not bode well at the moment.

"Doesn't matter," Regulus grinned at her. She thought he looked adorable like that, his black hair a mess and his t-shirt so worn that one of the seams had begun to split. There was even a smear of what she hoped was engine grease across one cheek. "Guess what?"

"What?"

"I think we're done."

Samantha glanced over the lines of the boat. "Seriously? It's ready to go?"

Regulus nodded, his grin getting wider. "The engine sounds great, the hull's all sealed up and reinforced with as many waterproof and floatation spells as I could find, and the rooms are all set. And I've already shrunk and regrown her a few times, so we'll easily be able to get her to the beach." He thumped a palm against the doorjamb. "We are officially seaworthy."

A slow smile spread across Samantha's face. Finally. "We're going home," she said. It wasn't a question. "Well, what are we waiting for? Let's get her loaded up."

They spent the next few hours loading all of the supplies onto the boat, settling the boxes and parcels into various rooms. By Samantha's best guess they had enough supplies to last them for a good few months, more if they were conservative. Regulus's wizardry could get them through tough times in a pinch, but neither one of them wanted to resort to that if they didn't have to. The Anchoress's furnishings ended up in the boat as well. They figured she wouldn't mind, and if she did come back, Samantha suspected she would easily be able to get her hands on all new stuff. Soon enough the boat was full up and they were almost ready to go.

* * *

So, thoughts? Did you predict who the boy was going to be, or did it come out of nowhere? I tried to drop clues about his identity in his scenes, but I didn't want it to be too obvious. Drop me a line and let me know what you thought! Thanks for reading! - Lola


End file.
